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Declan John and Kieran Sadlier have been told they can leave Wanderers before the transfer window closes tomorrow night.
Neither player has featured under Ian Evatt this season, although John was an unused substitute in the Carabao Cup victory against Barrow earlier this month.
Wanderers are in the market for a goalkeeper after back-up Joel Coleman picked up a calf injury in Tuesday night’s defeat to Championship Middlesbrough but are playing down the potential for further signings at the present time.
Evatt admitted, however, that outgoing deals are a strong possibility before the deadline, with John and Sadlier seemingly at the front of the queue.
“There’s no point me sitting here and saying they are not available for transfer, they absolutely are, but again it is their decision,” he told The Bolton News. “We are not going to force anyone out of the door.
“At the moment we have not selected them so it is their choice whether they decide to move on. You have seen the really good squad of players we have, the bench we have, so they can read into that what they will.
“The facts are we are not the type of club to mistreat someone or to force people out, it is always going to be their decision to stay. If they do, they will have to get their heads down to get into my thoughts and selection.”
John is out of contract in the summer and made 27 appearances last season and started 13 of the last 21 games in all competitions, including the Papa Johns Trophy final win at Wembley.
The Welshman has found himself in and out of favour over the last two years, however, and currently finds himself behind Randell Williams and Zac Ashworth for the left wing-back berth.
Sadlier spent the second half of last season on loan with Leyton Orient, helping the club to promotion from League Two. He has struggled to pin down a regular spot at Bolton since they switched to a 3-5-2 formation last summer and has found his appearances largely consigned to the cup competitions ever since.
Orient have retained an interest in bringing him back, although director of football Martin Ling admitted earlier this month that there may have to be some compromise on the player’s wages.
“Kieran is one of about three names we are looking at, I am not denying that, but we have got other irons in the fire as well,” he told the Orient Outlook podcast. “You never know.
“Kieran is there, we know what he is, and at the moment he has a contract at Bolton that we couldn’t match if I am totally honest.
“There is some talk about them giving him some money to go, and then it might be of more interest than it is at the moment.”
Wanderers have room to make more signings before registering their squad with the EFL but ensuring Coleman’s injury is covered remains Evatt’s chief priority.
Asked of the possibility of more deals before the end of the week, he added: “Things change in football really fast – and I never say never – but at the moment we are looking at the goalkeeping department, that might be the only thing we want to strengthen in terms of incomings but there might be outgoings.”
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